Portable grocery-store



IC. W. MARTIN.

POHMBLE GROCEHY STORE, A'VPUCMION FILED luNE 18. 1920.

E1 '70 Paie-mimi May 24 19m;

2 SHEE S-SHEET 2.

@ "t n n an www@ Epeciieation o Application fried fune i5 To @EZ @0.7mm5' may concern it known that i, Chron if?. MARTIN, e citizen oti theUnited States, residing :it Little Rock, in the county of Puissizi a' dState or Arkansas, have invented newT and useful improvements in l. orteGrocery-Stores, of which the toiiowing specification.

This invention reietes to trsveiing stores end more psrtieuieriy toportehie sutomobiie grocery stores. A

The object of the invention is to provide s motor driven vehicleequipped with :i body in the forni of e. store having seit' servicesystem and in which the driver performs the duties of checker andCashier so thatno other attendeists are required.

Another object is to provide :in apparatus oi this Character-haring a,compartment :irranged for cannedl and hottied goods to prevent them fromfailing over or shaking ont of position during transportation.

Another object is to provide apparatus of this character with erefrigerator eonstructed and arranged for advantageous use With storesof this character.

Another object is to providenii apparatus of this character having a.simpie :ind edi cient entrance and exit and so arranged that the drivermay remain in his seat :ind yet perform the duties oi ehech'er andCashier for Customers leaving the store.

VYith these and other objects in view7 invention consists of certainnovel tentures oi construction es hereinafter shown and described andthen speeiiceiij `pointed out in the cieini, and in the drawingsi1nstretive of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

v,fn the accompanying drewi Figure l represents s iong' on of storeconstructed in ,v'th this invention.

2 is e horizontal section teiten on the iine 22 of Fig. l.

3 is transverse verticsi section teiten on the line 53-3 l.

d is ay side ein ion of e trailer adapted for use in connection with astore oi this character.

Fig. 5 is a, reer elevation thereof,

Fig. G is e detail horizontal section showing compartments for hoidinghott ed und canned goods to insure there against ting, and,

7 is a siiniirr View showing a spring arrangement to hoid srtieies inposition.

in the embodiment iiiustrated the store l constituting this invention isshown mounted on a motor vehicie chassis C heving the usual wheeis W,engine E covered by the ordinary hood H.

The store l is in the 'form of s closed vehieie body the side Waiis 2 ofwhich are snrinonnted by e peaked root 3 although obviously this rootmay he of other construction it desired.

in one side wail 2 near the front orp the vehioie bod",7 l are entranceand exit openings e end 5, respectively, seperated by L railing the exitopening' being arranged sdjeoent e. driveris compartment 20 having theusualrseat S adjacent one end of which is positioned e table or shelf 2which forms one side Wadi ot the exit opening' and is for purposepresently to he described.

The entrance and exit openings 4 and .ii are Communicetiveiy connectedWiti s cenaisie 8 extendingiongitudinaiiy of the body l at the rear ofthe drivers co1np:.rt-I nient a eoninion turnstiie 7 forming` a closurebetween the openings Lizind 5 and the aisle 8 es i., shown clearly inFig. 2.

it the rear of the body 1 is :L refrigerator -i Whieh may he of anydesired construction opening into the aisle S so that customers may haveready access thereto. Extendihgr iongitudinslly on opposite sides of thesisi@ end spaced from. the iioor thereof are two sheives 10 below whichformed open bins li with drsnf'ers mounted over the hins on thesheivesend of e Width iess than the shelves es is shown clearly in Figs.2 end 3 so that n. customer iney use sheives l0 to support basket orother eontsiner into which the artieies to purchase-d my he piaceri. Thedrawers i2 ere ggnovided with any sniteb-ie hand grips shown at 12a toassist in opening and ciosing them end arranged over them arelcontainers 13 for bottled and canned goods seid containers having'upstnnding -iront :dis 13a with vertical inte seeting partitions ittherein to :form compartments to receive the canned and bottled goodsand to prevent said goods from upsetting or heilig shaken oi'i the shelfor compartment during' transportation.

Arranged shove the compartments 13 are e 'pinrsiity ot horizonteiiydisposed longitudinally extending vertically spaced shelves 16 dividedinto compartments l5 by upright or vertical partitions 17. Thesecompartments ma.)Y contain goods of various character to be exhibitedfor sale and are easily accessible to purchasers who enter the aisle 8through the entrance 4. and atte-r selecting the goods desired pass outthrough the exit 5 being retarded in their passage by the tnrnstile 7which causes them to stop opposite the table 2l so that the driver maycheck up the goods and receive the cash to cover the cost thereof.

A closure 18 for the entrance and exit l and 5 is made inthe form of adoor hinged to open downwardly and having on its inner face cleats orsteps 19 so that purchasers may easily enter and leave the store. lVhenthe store is moving from place to place it is of course understood thatthis closure will be fastened upward in operative position to excludedust and dirt from the interior of the store.

At one side of the. refrigerator 9 is a compartment 22 which may be usedfor a bread: closet or for an 'thing else desired.

lf found desirable trailers as 23 may be used in connection with themain body l and connected therewith by tongues or similar connectors 2lthe front ends being closed by doors 25 which permit when open entranceto the interior of the trailer. This trailer is intended as a stock roomfrom which the depleted stock in Store l may be replenished. It also maycontain commodities in case lots which are intended to be used aSleaders.

lVhile this improved store l is shown equipped with a self servicesystem above desu'ibed it is to be understood that all modern andconvenient labor saving devices may be used in connection therewith thepeculiar arrangement of the entrance and exit adjacent the driverscompartment eliminatinfr the necessity of employing a clerk or c eckerand enables the driver to perform these duties Without leaving; hisseat.

ln the Ause ot this store the driver may maire daily or weekly tripsfrom one location to the other or he .may go as often as he pleases tothe different localities and after stopping his vehicle at any7 desiredpoint will open down the door 18 to permit customers from surroundingterritory to enter and purchase the desired goods. The period of timewhich he will remain at one locality of course will be controlled bycircumstances and he will pass from place to place accordiup toconditions.

This improved store will he a great convenience to housekeepers enablingthem to purchase their supplies right at their door.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the drawingsand set forth in the specification, but it will be understood that anymodifications within the scope ot the claim may be made in theconstruction without departing from the principle of the invention orsacrilicing any' of its advantages.

What l claim is:

A. portable automobile store including a compartment having;i a. centralaisle with article supporting means on opposite sides thereof, a driverscompartment at the front corner of said store,'a customers entrance andexit passages parallel with each other at the corner opposed to saiddrivers compartment and opening through the side of the maincompartment, the exit passage being arranged adjacent the driverscompartment with a cash counter and checking table loetwecn it aud saidcompartment 4whereby the driver may serve as a chauli'eury a checker anda cashier and `acommon turnstile across the inner ends of Said passagescontrolling said entrance and exit.

In testimony whereof .l atix my signature hereto.

CLYDE W. MARTN.

